The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has rated Ghana number three in Africa on its Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI).
Ghana scored 86.69 per cent for secure cyberspace and comes behind Mauritius and Tanzania in that order.
Ghana’s new ranking in Africa is a major leap from the 11th position attained in the previous rating of 32.6 per cent in 2017 and 43.7 per cent in 2018, projecting the country among the best in the region and globally.
The current assessment covers the 2019-2020 period and reflects data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The GCI has, since its launch in 2015, become a trusted reference, measuring countries’ commitment to cybersecurity and raising awareness of its importance.
The level of each country’s development or engagement is assessed along the five strategic pillars of the ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA) – legal measures, technical measures, organisational measures, capacity building and international cooperation – which are aggregated into an overall score.
Commenting on the rankings released last Tuesday by the world telecommunications governing body, the National Cybersecurity Advisor, Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, said the achievement was proof of the government’s commitment to develop the country’s cyberspace for a sustained digital transformation in a secure and resilient manner.
“This commitment is evidenced by the efforts of the government in the implementation of critical interventions in the country’s cybersecurity ecosystem,” he said.
Key among the interventions meriting the rating included the revision of the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy to provide a national direction and implementation plan for Ghana’s cybersecurity development, the passage of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) to provide a legal basis for its cybersecurity development and the institutionalisation of cybersecurity to foster domestic cooperation and collaboration, Dr Antwi-Boasiako said.